Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund (4) establishes a new framework for the action of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. It sets out, in particular, the objectives, the principles and the rules concerning partnership, programming, evaluation and management. It is therefore necessary to specify the mission of the Cohesion Fund in relati on to the new framework for its action and in relation to the purpose assigned to it in the Treaty and to repeal, in the interests of clarity, Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 of 16 May 1994 establishing the Cohesion Fund (5).
(2)
Trans-European transport network projects financed by the Cohesion Fund are to comply with the guidelines for trans-European transport networks adopted by the Council and the European Parliament. In order to concentrate efforts, priority should be given to projects of common interest as defined in Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (6).
(3)
The Community may, through the Cohesion Fund, contribute to action in pursuit of the Community's environmental objectives specified in Articles 6 and 174 of the Treaty.
(4)
Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 provides that rules on eligibility of expenditure are to be established at national level, with certain exceptions for which it is necessary to lay down specific provisions. Specific provisions should therefore be laid down for the exceptions related to the Cohesion Fund.
(5)
Conditionality provisions in the granting of financial assistance should continue to apply in conjunction with the fulfilment of the conditions of economic convergence as set out in Article 99 of the Treaty and the need for sound government finances. In this respect, Member States having adopted the euro are to implement stability programmes and Member States not having adopted the euro convergence programmes, as defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 of 7 July 1997 on the strengthening of the surveillance of budgetary positions and the surveillance and coordination of economic policies (7), leading to the avoidance of excessive government deficits referred to in Article 104 of the Treaty. Conditionality provisions should not, however, apply to commitments already made at the time of suspension,
